Tag: R100 programme

100,000 connections bring faster broadband

£600m supporting Scotland’s communities and business growth

More than 100,000 faster broadband connections have now been delivered to homes and businesses across Scotland through the £600m R100 programme.

The milestone marks significant progress in bringing faster, more reliable broadband to communities across Scotland, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas. 

Independent evaluation shows the positive impact improved connectivity through the R100 programme is having. Around three-quarters of businesses report increased productivity and stronger performance, while nearly two-thirds of households feel more connected to friends, family and the wider world. Almost half say their wellbeing has improved. 

Business Minister Tom Arthur visited Falkirk Distillery to hear how access to faster broadband is helping to transform and support the growth of the business. 

Mr Arthur said: “Fast, reliable internet is essential for modern life – it supports businesses, enables remote working and helps people access services and stay connected with friends and family. Across Scotland, this investment is already delivering real benefits and transforming lives and livelihoods. 

“Reaching 100,000 connections is a significant milestone for the R100 programme and our wider investment in Scotland’s digital infrastructure.

“We will continue to work with our delivery partners, including Openreach, to maximise the impact of this investment and extend the benefits to more homes and businesses across the country.” 

Fiona Stewart, owner of Falkirk Distillery, said: “Our faster broadband has been hugely beneficial for the business.

“It has enhanced our online booking for tours and improved our visitor experience due to better WiFi for our customers, supported our digital marketing and social media, and helped to make online payments in our retail shop more resilient.  

“It will also support a higher volume of digital payments as part of our expansion plans including the launch of a new restaurant and additional retail space.”   

Robert Thorburn, Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland, said: “This is a fantastic milestone for Scotland. Delivering almost all of these connections, our engineers have worked in some of the most challenging locations to bring full fibre to communities that need it most.

“It’s about more than infrastructure – it’s about opening up opportunities and helping rural areas thrive for the long term.” 

People can check the latest information on connectivity for their home or business using the Scottish Government’s online address checker at gov.scot/broadband

Broadband target exceeded

R100 delivers more than 27,000 faster, ultra-reliable connections in a year

The Scottish Government has surpassed it’s commitment to deliver gigabit-capable broadband connections to 20,000 homes and businesses last year.

A record 27,000 premises were equipped with faster broadband in 2024-25 through the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% (R100) programme, exceeding a Programme for Government commitment by more than a third.  

 Connections have been made right across the country, from the Killantringan Lighthouse in Dumfries and Galloway to Stornoway in the Western Isles and Baltasound on Shetland.  

 The R100 contracts, being delivered by Openreach, have now enabled more than 80,000 faster broadband connections across the country, with 80% of all R100 contract build to take place in rural areas.  

Business Minister Richard Lochhead visited Loch Katrine in the Trossachs to hear how access to faster broadband speeds is helping transform opportunities for local businesses.  

He said:  “Fast, reliable broadband is a fundamental building block for economic growth. The Scottish Government’s R100 programme is one of the most ambitious and complex digital infrastructure programmes in Europe, rolling out connections in some of the most challenging locations in the country to help businesses and communities prosper.

“Despite telecommunications being reserved to the UK Government, our commitment to the R100 programme illustrates this government’s commitment to delivering the digital connectivity people and businesses need to succeed.

 “Exceeding our 2024-25 delivery target was helped by record Scottish Government funding and an ongoing partnership with Openreach maximising the opportunities to deliver fast broadband to even more homes and businesses.”  

CEO and Lead Trustee of the Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust, James Fraser said:  ”The impact of the introduction of fibre cable connections at Loch Katrine has been transformative for many aspects of our core business and our tenants. With an increasing trend to digital bookings for cruises, eco lodges, cycle hire and meals out, having high speed digital connections is critical to the success of our business and other businesses on the lochside.  

“Previously our digital speeds were very poor leading to customer dissatisfaction, loss of bookings and customer complaints, particularly from guests staying overnight in our eco lodges or in campervans in our car parks. With the higher speeds now available there has been a marked improvement in digital services with increased customer satisfaction levels.”  

Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland, Robert Thorburn, said:  ”It’s brilliant to see businesses like the Steamship Sir Walter Scott benefitting from full fibre.

“We’re committed to making sure that the hardest-to-reach homes and businesses in Scotland are connected to the latest generation of broadband technology, giving them access to the same fast, reliable services available in our cities.

“While building new full fibre networks in rural areas throws up many challenges, our engineers have the skills and experience to overcome these and deserve an enormous amount of credit for their work.

“We’re proud of the role we’ve played, working alongside the Scottish Government, in hitting this significant milestone – but we know that our work isn’t done yet, and we’ll continue to connect communities across the country.”  

The commitment to connect over 20,000 premises to gigabit capable broadband in areas of market failure by March 2025, through delivery of three regional, multi-year contracts with Openreach is set out in the Programme for Government 2024-25: Serving Scotland